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Not a day passes without me deliberating about school. So did happen today, but in an ominous way. A typical Friday had as usual started late towards the forenoon hours. Inevitably, a sad piece of information made its way to the senses in the form of a friend’s status update. It read that Mr. Kasper Raju (our economics teacher) had passed away. I lay numb as the reel of numerous encounters with the gifted being unrolled involuntarily in front of my eyes. He had been diagnosed with cancer last year & had gone for treatment to India I learned. I spoke to a few teachers later during the day & got to know that his situation worsened yesterday and he breathed his last the previous night. He was ticketed to fly back to India today, had the tragedy not have struck.

Raju Sir to me was man of principles. He had very well understood the role he had to play being a part of IISJ. The future of his students was something he never let go down the priority list. The amount of efforts he put in class, those extra notes just to guarantee that extra mark in exam, the phenomenal camaraderie with his students & the flamboyant teaching style is just a few of those plentiful reminisces vivid to me. The way he explained intricate concepts in a rather simplified manner was an art that takes time to master. I still remember the way he used to draw that dotted line on the black board at the blink of an eye. The way he improvised his lectures, with an awesome touch of humor, just made those sessions even more interesting & special. Students were all equal to him. Be it the intellectual lot among us or the weaker one, his commitment to enhance the comprehension of all was indeed commendable. Raju Sir even entertained tuition at the very brink of exams, just to help his students & make sure they stand not at the losing end. This was not it, even during his ailment he had been supporting students from India by way of social networking. He was an inspiration to other teachers too.

I had met him last in 2012 on a visit to the school with a few classmates. Never even thought for a second that it will be the last meeting of ours. I didn’t really realize that his condition had deteriorated to this extent recently & lament for not having been able to pay him a visit in the last few days of his life. But, certain is my respect & love for him eternally.

11th May, 2013, the day that every Pakistani may have looked up to in the best of their very own interest. The day that assured a change. The day that promised an end to a perpetual nemesis under the tyranny of corrupt, impudent & reprobated rulers. This was the day when the 14th election of the National Assembly & other provincial assemblies was to be held. Even though Pakistan is the world’s fifth largest democracy, its democratic setup has been put to question innumerable times in the recent past. It was mainly this audacious mar that had to be scratched off from the face of the country after the elections this year. Despite various threats to the conduct of these elections, around 60% from the total pool of 86 million voters turned up to cast their vote. This has been the highest turn out since the 1970 elections. Fatally, almost 20 people were killed in pursuit of making their opinion count.

What made the elections unique & unpredictable to a large extent was the Khan factor. As we all know, Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was a strong candidate & an enormous challenge to Pakistan Muslim League (N). But, still the Tiger resisted the Tsunami & emerged victorious. This was the third time that Nawaz Shareef had come in power & it appears that the tremendous developments in Punjab during his reign over the last few years had propped him to get almost a nationwide acceptance in these elections. Yet, we cannot remain oblivion to the success of PTI as it had managed to clean sweep one of the crucial provinces of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) & gained fair enough seats in the National Assembly in a stiff competition. No doubt, the opposition party this time will not be playing a role of a “friendly opposition” but will rather take Shareef to task. According to some commentators, the execution of elections itself was a victory of Pakistan. The anti-democracy forces in the nation have pulverized its democratic setup. One of the most astounding facts to be noted in these elections is that each and every party, be it a winner or a looser, is raising questions about the accuracy of results. As an aftermath, in NA-250, which was the most controversial constituency in terms of result manipulation, a re-polling was ordered by the election commission to pacify the respective candidates.

Khan to me is a true patriot & statesman. His integrity & love for his nation makes him a reverent being. The injury at the Lahore rally which rendered him bedridden for a few days was indeed a groaning experience. As per Globalpost, an online US news Company, Khan proved to be among the top nine leaders of the world. He had a gigantic following from the youth of his country. He has put a great display of nationalism during the election campaign. If Pakistan has leaders such, definitely the gloomy environs that the country is ensnared in will subside in the due course, guiding it to prosperity & affluence.

The pace at which Facebook has proliferated the peripheries of social network in the recent past is certainly beyond apprehension. The advent of social media, which is on the way to an unprecedented rise in terms of development, is certainly gaining reverence in public. Albeit, like any modern invention of the most intelligent creation, electronic media too has to fight with its demerits to sustain & guarantee its existence in the society. With the audience becoming active imbibers of media content, rather than being passive observers like those of the past, the inquisitiveness to quench the thirst of a fragile learner is best met at this platform. The conscience of the audience has Einstein-ed itself for the better. This is to say that people have learned to differentiate between the actuality & propaganda driven concepts.

Now coming to my point of discussion i.e. Facebook-cum-Confessions. We are currently witnessing an emerging trend on the social network website in the form of Confessions(or I would rather say Kaun?-fessions as you can easily guard your anonymity herein). The Confession pages have recently come in vogue, for Facebook users get a chance to express their agony about something, write about their crushes at school, share their school memories, pen about the cruelty of bosses, and do much more at their own leisure just with the click of a mouse. Yours truly ,being an alumni of International Indian School-Jeddah, is one among those who have contributed to the 4k likes of the page ‘IIS Jeddah Confessions’. I have myself made use of it to share my thoughts about the school & the all special moments spent there. I still reminisce about those wonderful days, as any other student would, having graduated from IISJ in 2009. The nostalgia at times is at such an apex that I find it difficult to accommodate the feeling within. However, my school’s confession page has helped me to be ensnared in that futile longing, yet sustain the merriness.

While going through the confessions, which are already 900+ as of today, I came across some awe-inspiring stories. While some confessors only described their crushes at school or gave elegant details of the notoriety they played at school, others discussed things they would never have spoken about to anyone except this virtual space. These were the narrations mostly from the female of species, who had been victimized in the form of sexual abuse by their very own relatives or every other stranger that roams around in Aziziyah with devilish intentions. I strongly believe that when it comes to women, the concept of ‘character assassination’ comes in as a handy catalyst to aid self-centered ambitions. Character accusation of any sex, without any concrete evidence, is indeed a grave sin. But, the issue becomes even more delicate when it comes to women, as they hold such a pristine stature in Islam that you & me would never have thought of. I saw some confessions, the every read of which jolted the core of me. Indeed, if this was my personal state, how subjugated would have that soul felt having gone through the torture herself. If somebody at this platform had gathered enough strength to describe the horrendous chain of events, there was always that less sensible lot among us to point fingers them. Some said “Nobody can touch a girl unless she wills so herself”, while others opined saying “You were strong enough to defend yourself, why didn’t you?”. I would only say to such opinion makers that think a million times before advising somebody, as you know not what & how the actual situation was. You need to maintain objectivity to the utmost when deciding to have a go at someone. May He protect us all, but you can only comprehend the reality if a similar or direr tragedy has befallen you.

I thought to myself venting out my frustration to such perspectives won’t do any good, because the owners of such perceptions are not impressed with any school of thought other than their’s. Amid all this came a post from the page Admin & as obvious I do not know who he or she is. The Admin gave a thrashing reply to those, who were alleging the victims in return & groaned over the fact that he didn’t have a sister. I know one thing for sure, through this page & mainly after such a response on behalf of all the women, the Admin would have found many sisters, their affection, care & above all their prayers. Lastly, all what I want to say is that I am not trying to flaunt my benevolence by writing all this, but just want to make people understand that they MUST observe utter caution when speaking about such sensitive matters. And particularly what you exert on in the social media have long-lasting impacts on the receivers. Please do not blame women, for they are the reason of your very own existence!

It was with the onset of a typical Wednesday morning on the 3rd of April, 2013 last week, that a special day at office was inquisitively beginning to unfold. A Wednesday in particular, generally, escalates the exuberance uncontrollably to the prime, for it’s a serene slumber that beckons the tired self ahead on the weekend. But, without a doubt, the ebullience had to be even more mystifying & vigorous that day as the President of Otis Elevators, Pedro Baranda, was to visit the office to meet the employees & attend an employee recognition ceremony.

Before I plunge into describing the day further, let me just brief you all about the man himself. Pedro Baranda, as the name rightly indicates such an august, grandeur & majesty, holds a Bachelors degree in Mining Engineering, Masters in Business Administration & a Doctorate in Engineering too. It goes without saying that the individual is a personality gifted, but in abundance. Baranda had joined United Technologies Company (UTC), of which Otis is a wholly owned subsidiary, in the year 1993 as a Research Engineer. With an undeterred grit & tenacity, he had launched himself into the elevator industry in his mid-twenties. Therefrom, he exalted to new highs with every tick of the clock. Having put forth an indispensable display of intellect & charm, he held various critical executive positions later on & continued to embark on designations such as a Director, General Manager, Managing Director, etc. During the course of his success, he had even been a member of a team of Otis engineers, who won the George Mead Medal, the highest Engineering honor given by UTC. He was named the President of Otis in February last year & is now based in Connecticut, USA.

As we had all prepared to welcome his Excellency the other day, the plan was put to adore the President with a blooming paraphernalia of momentous time frames. He was greeted in a traditional Arab style by the the Managing Director, HR Manager & other top management executives, having been offered dates & the special Qahwa (the arabic word for coffee) as he entered the office. Subsequently, having toured the office meeting each employee, the deserving staff were recognized for their efforts at work. A few minutes of enlightenment followed, as the President shared his views about the business & our commitment to Safety in work. Those were one of the most inspiring words audible to my conscience ever. To me, truly it was his carriage that turned heads. The conduct, the mien, the deportment & above all the simplistic grace had engulfed my mind, as the facility went abuzz with the clicking of cameras & the claps & the admiration.

As the designation demands, Baranda often shares his views with the public, capitalizing the advent of a highly sophisticated social media in today’s world. In an interview, he acquainted the world with trying to innovate the modern elevators his way by introducing a small screen to the elevator design, which would attract the attention of captive passengers to what is being run on the screen. This may well eliminate, the albeit few, but monotonous moments of a vertical shift. Also, he blogs regularly for interacting with the public.

To summarize it all up, it was a great learning experience for me to witness such an audacious being, on whom the effect of his stature is hardly conspicuous. My wishes & prayers for him in all the ventures that he would be a part of in future.